Lost Child
by Itachiforever342
Summary: A boy has fallen from Laputa down to...Gaea? Follow his story in this short book to see if he returns home.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or Castle in the Sky!

I want to have this out in the open right now, that this story has the location of Laputa, but none of the characters, so don't expect Shida or Patsu to appear. This has purely Esca characters for my amusement. Thanks everyone for not flaming me for this!

Without further ado, here it is!

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**Lost Child**

In a castle in the clouds, a boy with blood red hair and narrow amber eyes ran along the grassy platforms, laughing as he spread his arms, his mid-back-length hair tied back in a ponytail. While he ran, others glanced down at him with a little fear in their eyes. He was so carefree for a boy with such a scary face. It looked as though he wanted to kill someone with a joyful disposition. Despite his looks his name wasn't anything fierce or strong. His name was…Yukimaru. **A/N: This is a character that was taken from one of my weirder fics that I deleted (he's a cross between Kenshin and Saito in looks from Rurouni Kenshin which I also do not own). Sorry for interrupting so early on!**

Despite that the first parts of his name meant "snow", he'd never seen it. He'd always wondered what it was, and if it was nice like flowers and sunshine. He was a very gentle kid, happy as could be and ignorant of how people looked at him. His mother had given him his hair and fair skin, while his father had given him his eyes and unnatural strength. His mother had been a beauty to behold, drawing many suitors, yet she'd only accepted one man as her husband, and he'd been the fiercest warrior in the skies. Half of the reason why her marriage to him had been so opposed was because of how bloodthirsty he'd been and his eyes were enough to frighten off many seasoned warriors. How such a man had caught the gentle woman's eye, only she knew.

Yukimaru looked over the side and smiled at the sight so far below. _I wonder what's down there. It's forbidden for anyone to go down there, yet I still think as hard as I can about it. Do they have "snow" down there? Maybe it's not very bad although there are many stories Ka-chan told me about what happens down there. I may be a descendant of the person who made this flying city, filled with the last of our kind, but I want to go down there once and see what's down below._

His clothes, which were very loose with ornate patterns and symbols along with the crest of his family and city on the shirt and left hip of his shorts, and he hardly ever wore anything but thin sandals to protect his feet from being hurt as he ran. The cloth of his clothing was white and the symbols were light blue. Around his neck was a blue crystal with a curious symbol on it, which matched his shirt. He'd inherited it from his mother, who told him that it contained vast powers that he should only use in direst need.

He sat on the very edge, letting his feet dangle over the side as his fierce eyes surveyed the place he so wished to go to, but was unable to. He was too young to even try, plus he was special to the people here, young or not. He was the last living prince and thus the heir to the throne to this castle in the sky, Laputa. He wore the crystal as the symbol of his crown, so if he were to ever go missing, he would possibly cause a war between Laputa and the place beneath.

A cloud passed over the place he was sitting, temporarily blocking him from anyone's view. He stood up quickly, only to step wrong and stumble, just as some of the royal guards, who had been looking for him, to notice him and his fast-failing balance.

"Yukimaru-ô-sama!"

His arms windmilled, before he tipped forward and fell, straight down, with a scream that was quickly lost.

The guards ran to the side and shouted, "YUKIMARU-Ô-SAMA!"

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So...what did you think? For people to still be living in Laputa, who are they? What connection do they have to Gaea? Venture to guess?

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or Castle in the Sky!

If anyone who reads this remembers this next scene, kudos to you!

I love you all! :)

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The boy fell straight down for a while, before a bright blue light lit up from his pendant and his body went horizontal before his plunge slowed to a hovering decline, his clothes spread about him as if he were floating in water instead of midair. He had passed out from his sudden fall, so he was unaware of his stone using its power to save him from a death-causing plummet. His hair flowed around his head although still contained within the ponytail. His shoes had been lost in the first few minutes of the drop, not that they'd been worth much.

The clouds and birds seemed to part for him as he passed amid them, almost as if his presence was something to be revered. The boy who had fallen from the sky like an angel, descending to the places below. His face had paled a little from the cold air and goose bumps rose on his skin. But soon the air became warm again as he still fell, for his home had been a far, far way up.

Just below him, a man with long blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a blue outfit, stood atop his castle watch tower, looking out to watch for enemies, unaware of the boy that floated downwards. But, fortunately for him, one of his subordinates looked up and shouted, "Hey Boss! Look at that!"

The man looked up just in time to see the boy and held out his arms, the boy floating just above them before his pendant lost its light and his weight dropped on the one who held him all at once. He grunted a little before he shifted his hold so he could carry his sudden passenger better. "Where did this boy come from? The sky? But there's nothing up there in the clouds, unless he's from the Mystic Moon…"

"Commander!" another man called, beginning to climb up to where the blonde man was holding the newcomer. "What's up? I just heard that you caught some kid who was floating in a ball of light!"

"Yes, Gaddes, I did. Come see."

Gaddes completed his climb and gazed down at the boy. "What the heck? I've never seen hair that color, nor clothes like that, except for Fanelia, and what's with all these weird symbols? I've never seen them before."

"Especially this one here," the commander pointed out, gesturing to the one on the front center of the boy's shirt. "It's here, on this pendant, and tattooed on his left hand. It must mean something important, if it's on so many things, including on his body. I think I'll bring this boy to Fanelia once he's awake and bring him to meet Van. If my hunch is right, wherever this boy came from has to be connected to either the Mystic Moon or Draconians."

"You mean he might be like Van?"

"For all we know or he may be something we've never encountered before."

Gaddes touched the boy's clothes and blinked. "This is the lightest yet the most durable material I've ever felt before, Commander. It feels like it's made out of nothing, yet it must be strong enough to endure the harsh treatment from the wind of the kid's fall. And…what the heck? It's slit in the back on both sides, like it got ripped!"

"We can ask some questions once he wakes, Gaddes. Just help me get him down."

"You got it, Commander."

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The next installment of this short tale! What did you think?

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or Castle in the Sky!

**sigh** No reviews, but then again, I suppose this isn't a very popular crossover, so it's to be expected...

Thanks to any who might've read this, anyways!

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Yukimaru's eyelids fluttered open as he woke, sitting up to find himself in a strange place. He looked around, finding it wasn't his bedroom, and it smelled nothing like home. "What happened? I fell…then what? I don't remember."

The door opened and two men stepped in, one in front of the other. One with a blue and white outfit and a sword on his hip came up to him, his long, blonde hair framing his fair face. His blue eyes were gentle, yet inquisitive as he sat down next to the boy. The other man in rough clothes with a sword as well, his short black hair and dark eyes and tan skin quite unlike the other man's, and he seemed far less refined.

"Welcome to Gaea, young man," the first man greeted. "I am Allen Schezar, Asturian Knight of Heaven and this is my second-in-command, Gaddes."

Gaddes nodded. "Hey, kid."

Yukimaru blinked and bit his lip, not sure what to do. He didn't know where he was, only that he wasn't in Laputa or anywhere close, he was sure. From what he'd heard from the stories of the place beneath, people hated anything strange or new, so why were these men not glaring at him or trying to hurt him? _What's gonna happen to me, now that I've fallen? I just hope that nothing bad happens, because I don't want to get hurt or hurt anyone._

"Young man, are you all right?" Allen asked, reaching out, only for the denizen of the sky to block his hand with his arm.

"Hey, hey, there isn't any reason for you to defend yourself, kid," Gaddes assured. "You're safe here, and we're not gonna hurt you."

Yukimaru lowered his arm, only to raise his head fully, exposing his narrow amber eyes.

"Whoa, that kid's got seriously scary eyes, Commander."

Allen lifted a hand. "Relax. We only want to know your name, for a start. Can you talk?"

Yukimaru swallowed, still unsure, but he complied. "My name is Yukimaru."

"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Allen smiled and reached out again. "I caught you as you fell from the sky, and your necklace seems to have saved you from falling too fast, because you were almost floating."

The boy grasped his necklace and looked at it. _I didn't know it did that, but then again, Ka-chan did tell me that if I ever would fall that it would save me from dying._ "Where am I?"

"You are in the country of Asturia, in a castle called Castello bordering the country of Fanelia, on a planet called Gaea. Where is it you come from, Yukimaru-san?"

"Up," the boy stated simply, pointing to accentuate the word.

"Do you know what this place is called?"

"Yes, but I can't just tell anyone, Schezar-san. I was told that the people from below hate anything from the sky."

Allen blinked. "I don't know if that's true, but my men and I have been through many things recently and we're more understanding than a lot of other people here. We won't hate you for what you are or where you come from. Will you trust my word, Yukimaru-san?"

"Um…okay."

The blonde knight stood and offered a hand. "Come, we're going to take you to Fanelia, where you'll be able to meet someone that you might be more comfortable to talk to than either of us."

Yukimaru took his hand and gasped as he was pulled up. "I feel so light here, as if I was being pressed down where I lived before."

"Being so high up, your body was used to thinner air, so this rich air is new to you and energizes you. I won't be surprised if you run much faster than the rest of us while you're here."

He walked with Allen to another part of the building, creatures on four legs closed inside. He blinked and asked, "What are those?"

"They're called horses, Yukimaru-san. We'll ride them to Fanelia and be there within a day."

"Um…ride?"

"I'll show you."

He was quite confused with the whole process as he was sat on the animal's back, and Allen kept it following his own mount by holding the "reins" in his hand. He held onto the horse's mane and was unsure the whole way until they reached a city, surrounded by trees and a large wall of rock. He saw people of many shapes and sizes, along with people that looked like animals.

"This is Fanelia, Yukimaru-san. Many people come here to trade and live because here everyone is accepted as they are."

Yukimaru saw that it was really so, since no one looked at each other in suspicion or hatred. _I wonder who this person is that Schezar-san's taking me to see that I would be more comfortable with. Someone else from the sky? But that's impossible, no one else has ever fallen or left Laputa since its founding, even the warriors._

Many people turned to look at him, since no one had ever seen a boy with such clothes, hair or eyes before. But they were curious only, no one seemed to think he was more than odd, a stranger in their land. He was a little nervous, but not as wary as before.

"Allen! What are you doing here?" a voice called, making the pair of riders turn towards the source.

"Van, just the person I wanted to see!" Allen called back.

A dark-haired, sable-eyed young man came over, wearing a loose red tunic similar to his, tan pants, and riding boots and gloves, a sword at his hip. He smiled at his friend and asked, "You came to see me? Why?"

"This boy behind me."

Van turned to look at him, and as soon as their eyes met, Yukimaru sensed something familiar about him, although they'd never met before. "Hello, I'm Van. Your name?"

"Yukimaru."

"Yukimaru. Allen, why did you bring him here?"

"I can't speak of it here, we should retire to the castle."

Van tilted his head in confusion, but nodded. "All right, if it's that secretive."

It didn't take them long to get to a large building that Yukimaru had to admit could be called a castle. He dismounted his horse, walking with them inside until they reached a room, where Van shut the door behind them. "We're in a private place, Allen. Now tell me everything."

"While I was keeping watch over the border, Kio called out to me to look up, and Yukimaru fell from the sky into my arms, well, he floated down as light as a feather, that stone around his neck lit up. The symbols on his clothes aren't anything like my men or I have ever seen before, and the only way he could've fallen from the sky is that he's either from the Mystic Moon or…" He leaned over to Van's ear and whispered something.

Yukimaru strained to hear, but all he heard was a mumble. He stood to the side, trying not to look bored as the pair talked in whispers now, so he wouldn't overhear. He looked around at the room and although everything was foreign, something caught his eye that was familiar. He went over to it and lifted it up. He gazed at the symbol and wondered how something like this could've come here. _This is my people's symbol…but how…?_

He looked to Van, although he looked nothing like a person of Laputa, perhaps Allen was right, maybe he would be able to ask some questions of him. It was very odd that a symbol such as that could ever be here, in the land below.

"Yukimaru, Allen is going to leave us, would you like to talk with me?" Van asked, bringing the boy's attention to him again.

The red-haired boy nodded and Allen left, closing the door behind him as he exited.

"There's something I must ask before you speak. Allen brought it up, so I must know. Are you Draconian?"

"I…I…how do you know about Draconians?"

Van pulled his shirt off and grinned as a pair of white wings spread from his shoulders. "Because I am one."

"You…you're Draconian? But how?"

"My mother was Draconian and married my father. So, are you going to answer my question?"

"Yes, I am, but according to my people, I'm too young to fly yet, although I was born knowing how."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

Van's eyes widened and he snorted with laughter. "Are you serious? That's my age and I've been flying since I was thirteen! I would've guessed you were ten or nine, not sixteen! You don't look it!"

"I'm short, that's why. Everyone underestimates my age."

"So, where are you from? I didn't know that there were other Draconians besides myself."

"I'm from a city floating in the sky called Laputa."

"Laputa? How come, with all our airships, no one has discovered this floating city?"

"Laputa is well-protected within a hurricane that has winds that flow in two different directions. No one unless they know how to find it can."

"If the symbol on your back is the symbol of our people then what is the one on your shirt, pants and necklace?"

"This is the symbol of our royalty. I'm the only prince of Laputa and—oh, that's right! I forgot about that!"

"What?"

"I fell on accident, so everyone must be searching for me by now! I have to go back or else everyone will proclaim war on the world below to get me back!"

Van's eyes widened. "What? You mean you're that important?"

"Yes, I'm the late queen's only child, and once I turn eighteen I'll inherit the throne. If I were to die, Laputa's power would fail and it would fall and crash into Gaea, killing everyone on it."

"Then we have to get you back before the worst happens! Allen!"

Allen came running in, seeing Van's serious face. "Yes, Van?"

"We have to get back to Castello and get onto the Crusade as soon as we can! We have to get Yukimaru back to where he came from!"

"So soon? What did you find out about him? Were my suspicions correct?"

"On the second theory, yes. I'll tell you everything later!"

Van fetched a horse and the trio rode as fast as possible back to Castello, where they prepped the Crusade, before taking off. Yukimaru was amazed that this "airship" moved by large stones that made it float as it rode the wind. _But these stones are nothing like the crystal that holds up Laputa._

Allen placed a hand on his shoulder and assured, "We'll get you back to your home, Yukimaru-san. Don't worry."

"So Van told you?"

"Yes, he trusts me and you should trust me as well. I would never tell anyone about what you are. I've known Van for about a year since he became the king of Fanelia. You're a prince as well, so I'm impressed to know so many members of royalty. Van has asked me if you know how to get to this place you're going."

"There is a way, but I don't know if I should show it to someone who doesn't know about my crystal."

"So it's a crystal, not a stone?"

"Yes, it's very rare and very hard to mine, and it has the power to do many things, and one is to point out the way to where I came from. If I were to be traveling myself, it would be acceptable. But if anyone found out I brought people from beneath to the city…I would be punished and our warriors would show no mercy."

"But there isn't any way you could survive such a journey into the sky. You were unconscious from the fall so it must have been traumatic."

"I don't know, I don't remember anything besides falling. I don't want to worry anyone up there more than I have, so I should guide you so you can deliver me safely back. But please, keep your distance so that no one will be alarmed."

"You have my word, Yukimaru-san."

With that, the Draconian teen faced the front window and raised his hands so they were circling his pendant before he whispered in an unknown language, the crystal lighting up before a beam of the same light shot from it and pointed in a certain direction, since Laputa was floating away from their current position.

"Kio, wheel her around until that beam is straight ahead!"

"Okay, Boss!"

The course was adjusted until the Crusade was aligned with the beam, it stretching as far as the eye could see. Yukimaru sighed at seeing that they were on their way, before Van patted his back. "We're on our way to Laputa. I wonder what it's like."

"Very unlike anything you've ever seen, Van. You'll be surprised."

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This is the longest chapter in the story, and next chapter will be the finale!

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Here's chapter five, as I promised!

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The next day Mikoto took Midori to the academy, many of the boys in the class sitting forward at the sight of the new pretty addition.

"Class, this is our newest transfer student, Uchiha Midori. Please be nice to her and help her make friends so she can be comfortable."

"Yes, sensei!"

She sat in the front so she could see things better and so that the teacher could answer her questions and help her with her schoolwork for the first few days.

"Today we'll be reviewing our hand signs for techniques."

Her concentration was broken when she felt something hit the back of her head. She ignored it and looked back at the teacher, who was demonstrating the different signs slowly so everyone could see.

"As you can see, there are twelve of them for each of the twelve animals of the zodiac. Dog, rat, boar, rabbit, dragon, ox, tiger, ram, snake, monkey, horse and rooster. Now, who wants to demonstrate?"

Another thing hit her in the head, but again, she pointedly disregarded it. Whoever it was that was trying to distract her from an important lesson and she wouldn't heed it.

Almost instantly after she thought that, a hand lightly tugged on her braid.

"Hey carrot top."

She would pay no attention to the annoyance.

A slightly harder tug.

"Hey carrots!"

Nope.

The next yank was so sharp she yelped, even as a tearing sound rang through the room.

She froze at the sound, not wanting to even turn for fear that what she thought had ripped would be in the person's hand. The teacher saw and scolded, "Inuzuka Seiji! What have you done to poor Midori-san's hair?"

"I didn't mean to tear it like that, honest! She must have really weak hair if just one little tug rips it out like that!"

The girls and most of the boys in the class began shouting at him as Midori reached back and found her waist-length braid was now half its length and unraveled, all uneven and probably ugly. Her lower lip began to quiver as tears formed in her eyes.

The teacher turned to her and saw her expression. "Midori-san, we can get it trimmed in time for you to be back here for lunch, okay? You've cut your hair before right?"

She screamed before dissolving into tears.

"Seiji-san, apologize to Midori-san at once!"

"But I didn't—"

"Now!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin your hair like that."

"You're getting detention for this disruption, Seiji-san. You know better than you bug your classmates at all, let alone during class."

"Yes, sir."

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A little chapter just for awws and snickers! Poor Midori!

Oh, and this scene I got from Anne of Green Gables, so no one can sue me, for it is also not mine! (Except that Anne's hair didn't get torn, that was just for hilarity's sake).

Please review!


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